Dispatch from London: Holding onto Home with a Breakfast Sandwich at Bulldog Edition

by Matt Duckor

on 07/17/14 at 03:00 PM

Our restaurant editor Matt Duckor has hit the road and will be filing regular dispatches. Today, a few thoughts from London.

[Photo: Matt Duckor]

Every time I travel (especially abroad), one of my biggest challenges is relinquishing an essential food habit: hitting up my local New York bodega for my beloved morning breakfast sandwich.

It doesn't really matter what I've had the night before, how the weather feels outside, or whether the planets are in alignment on my astrological chart--a bacon, egg, and cheese craving always strikes when the sun rises.

But what happens when you leave the land of 24-hour bodegas and corner delis?

Turns out, you can find something even better in London (or at least more posh). Like the concept of divinity, it seems every culture has its version of the breakfast sandwich.

The one I stumbled upon here in London comes courtesy from the folks at Bulldog Edition at The Ace Hotel in Shoreditch, which made a splash locally when it opened in the East London neighborhood last year. Step into the white-tiled shop, and you'll notice the tray of breakfast sandwiches within about five seconds: A small army of squat seeded brioche buns with bacon peeking out. (There's a smoked salmon and cream cheese version as well, but who cares when bacon is available, really?).

Because this is London and not my corner bodega, there are no scrambled eggs on this breakfast sandwich. Instead, a mixture of hard-boiled egg and mayonnaise adds creamy ballast to honest bacon and real cheddar. Even though it's not the commodity bacon and processed cheddar cheese I know and love, it's just as primally satisfying as the lowbrow deli original.

There's no cold brew coffee on offer. Instead, order the "ice filter"--pour-over coffee brewed over ice. Cold, refreshing, and smooth, the brew comes from local coffee roasters heroes Square Mile. The partnership marks a departure for The Ace, who usually pair up with the Portland-based Stumptown Coffee Roasters for the coffee offerings at their other locations.

The staff will ask if you'd like the sandwich warmed up. You do. It comes back to you after 90 seconds in the panini press even more svelte than before and, of course, warm and toasty. But maybe the most satisfying thing about the sandwich is that, despite being 3,000 miles and several time zones away from home, I get to hold onto a part of my morning routine.